40 years since the Chornobyl catastrophe, the largest man-made disaster in human history

26 April 1986, 1:23 am. Ukraine is peacefully dreaming, unaware that at this very moment an explosion has occurred at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. It will have not only man-made consequences on a scale never before encountered by humanity in its history. It would undermine the rock-solid foundations of the ‘Evil Empire’ and become one of the catalysts for the collapse of the USSR. Despite the policy of perestroika and glasnost announced a year earlier, the state system continued to operate according to the old rules. And Moscow’s first reaction was to conceal the truth about the accident and its consequences. They knew how to lie and deny, and had done so on more than one occasion, including during the Holodomor. And so, once again, political interests took precedence over concern for the people facing a mortal threat. However, this time, political sleight of hand could no longer save the thoroughly rotten Soviet system.

The Chornobyl accident led to irreparable economic, social and humanitarian consequences, and had a devastating impact on the demographics and health of the Ukrainian nation.

Here are just a few striking facts:

30 nuclear power plant employees died due to the explosion or acute radiation sickness within a few months of the accident;

500,000 people died from radiation, according to estimates by independent experts;

90,784 people had been evacuated from 81 settlements in Ukraine by the end of summer 1986;

Over 600,000 people were involved in the accident clean-up – fighting fires and clearing debris.

2,293 Ukrainian towns and villages were contaminated with radionuclides.

Today, Russia is once again using ‘peaceful nuclear energy’ as a tool of coercion. The occupiers have seized the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and have repeatedly been on the brink of disaster, whilst the ‘Shelter’ structure at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant has come under attack from Russian drones. That poses a constant threat not only to Ukraine but to the whole of Europe, as the consequences of nuclear risks know no borders. The world must be fully aware of this danger and respond to it with decisive action.

Chornobyl reminds and warns us; we remember…